The Green House® Project

Penfield Green House® Homes: A New Kind of Care

The Green House® nursing home model is a new approach to skilled nursing care, where every element—care philosophy, organizational structure, and architecture—is carefully crafted to remove any hint of “institutionalization.” Just like traditional greenhouses do for plants, a Green House® nursing home is a place where people are able to thrive and grow.

A New Home. A New Family.

Our Green House® project created two ranch-style homes in suburban Rochester, NY, occupied by 10 residents each. There is a “hearth” (think “great room”), dining room, kitchen, living room with fireplace, and an enclosed porch with access to a private courtyard. The hearth, located next to the kitchen to allow elders to participate in meal preparation, is easily accessible from their large, private bedrooms, each with a private bath.

In our Green House® nursing homes, warm, caring relationships are the order of the day. Residents live as part of a “family” out in the community while still benefiting from the full range of clinical services provided by St. John’s. St. John’s was actually the first in the nation to develop a Green House® home integrated into an existing residential neighborhood outside the campus of a traditional nursing home.

Creating Small Homes on a Larger Scale

Based on the success of the small homes model in our Green House® home, we made the decision to model all resident living spaces at the main St. John’s Home campus to provide increased autonomy and specialized care for those we serve. That included major renovations to our residential areas as well as significant staff retraining.